What is Insulin Resistance?
Insulin is the hormone that our pancreas produces in order to help the cells absorb and use the glucose that we ingest from our food. The problem is, however, those people who are insulin resistant don’t have cells that properly absorb the glucose (sugar) effectively, so the sugar in the blood builds and builds.
More and more insulin is produced as the body attempts to bring the sugar levels down in the blood. Even though the body still is capable of producing insulin with insulin resistance, the cells are ‘resisting’ the insulin and acting almost as if it is not there at all. The pancreas has to work double time pumping out more and more insulin as it continues to attempt to get the cells’ attention that it is there and ready to help bring bring sugar levels down in the blood.
Over time, the pancreas is unable to continue working so hard and eventually stops being able to produce insulin at all, which leads to type 2 diabetes.
In the Presence of High Insulin, Your Body Can’t Burn Fat Efficiently (Or At All)
If you are feeling sluggish, are always hungry, and have tried many different diets and exercise programs without success or visible results, then you just might just be insulin resistant.
There are blood tests your doctor can run to find out for sure. Insulin resistance could potentially be at the root of your weight loss struggles.
Does Your Doctor Know About Insulin Resistance?
Doctors really hadn’t been giving much attention to insulin resistance at all until the last couple of years or so. More recently, insulin resistance has been gaining attention by functional medicine practitioners, however, there are still too many medical practitioners overall whol don’t really understand or properly address how insulin resistance can have a direct impact on weight control. Insulin resistance affects our metabolism, hunger levels, and energy levels. Worse yet, it very often leads to type 2 diabetes.
Insulin is the Key to Our Cells
Insulin is the key that opens our cells to let sugar in and then be used by our body for energy. But when insulin can’t open those cell doors because our cells are ignoring that knocking, we can’t use the food we take in and thus we get tired and fatter.
Our bodies keep trying to warn us of a problem and that is why insulin keeps getting produced in response to blood sugar in the blood. Over time, that function burns out leading to becoming a type 2 diabetic requiring insulin injections. In addition, you’ll have a whole new host of health problems to address, including storing fat much more easily, increasing blood pressure, and increasing cholesterol and/or triglycerides. All of which can lead to nonalcoholic, fatty liver syndrome.
Warning Signs
Take care of the problem before it gets to this point. Our bodies are smart, but we have to listen to the warning signals. Insulin resistance typically goes hand-in-hand with a sedentary lifestyle and a high-carbohydrate/processed diet.
Blood Tests
Talk to your medical provider if you susptect you might have insulin resistance, especially if you have been struggling to lose weight despite your best efforts. Blood tests can be helpful in getting a proper diagnosis. Some of these blood tests to ask your doctor for include:
- Cholesterol Panel
- Fasting glucose/blood sugar (less than 100 mg/dl)
- Fasting Insulin (less than 10)
- Hemoglobin A1C (ideal: no higher than 6)
Next Steps
So what are some next steps you can do now aside from asking your doctor for blood tests?
- Real, unprocessed food
- Low glycemic load food
- Sleep better
- Move more
You can start by eating REAL food with a low glycemic load, move more, and get more sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep, ghrelin increases, causing us to be hungry (and tired). Exercise helps make our cells more sensitive to insulin, so get moving!
Don’t forget to include healthy Omega-3 fats in your meals, such as avocado, olive oil, ghee, fish, and nuts. Healthy omegas are key to reducing inflammation in our body, which can make insulin resistance worse, which leads to excess fat storage.
Take Action Sooner Rather Than Later
A final reminder . . . don’t ignore your body’s warning signs. Take action now, before it is too late to change. Type 2 diabetes is the epidemic of today. Don’t believe that you are doomed because of genetics. There ARE things you can do now to not go down the diabetes path. Be empowered. Take action today! Click Here to schedule a discovery call with me to see if a Metabolic Balance plan is right for you. I’ll send you a free sample Metabolic Balance plan too.
